Outbreak

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT OUTBREAK - PAGE 5

CALCUTTA: India's worst bird flu outbreak spread to two new districts, a senior government official said on Sunday, as entry points to the eastern city of Calcutta were being closely watched amid fears the disease could spread to the crowded city. Officials in the state of West Bengal, the center of the outbreak, have been struggling to contain the disease, which now has spread to 13 of the state's 19 districts. "We have very strict surveillance on all the entry points to the city and we have earmarked 14 reputed poultry farms that maintain proper safety measures," state Animal Husbandry Minister Anisur Rahman said.

CHANDIGARH: Bird flu and foot and mouth, the poultry and cattle diseases respectively, which have knocked the winds out of the sails of several economies in Europe and Asia, are now causing scare in Haryana. The chief minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, is trying his best to avoid the fear psychosis. He has a lot at stake. Every month Haryana produces poultry products worth Rs 350 crore. The fear of the outbreak of the bird flu in the past few days has already led to a decline in sales by 20%. Hooda wants to ensure that the experience of the past year isn't repeated, when mere fears of an outbreak of bird flu led to closure of around 100 poultry farms in the state.

NEW DELHI: The government today said 240 doctors and paramedic staff would be available round the clock at the Commonwealth Games village to tackle any medical emergency or outbreak of disease during the mega sporting event. "Adequate arrangements have been made by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Delhi Government . A poly clinic with all provisions like ultra sound, laboratory and imaging would be set up to provide medical facilities to all participants," Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad told the Lok Sabha.

WASHINGTON: The World Bank has pledged USD 200 million in emergency funding to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to help the West African countries contain spread of deadly Ebola infections and improve public health systems. World Bank President Dr Jim Yong Kim, who is experienced in treatment of infectious diseases, said the new financing commitment was in response to a call from both the three African countries hardest-hit by Ebola and the World Health Organisation for immediate assistance to contain the outbreak.

LONDON: Since swine flu first emerged in April, it has sparked panic, vaccine production and now, a video game. In an effort to further raise awareness, Dutch researchers have created a game that challenges players to control a new pandemic. "It is actually what is happening now, what is happening in the real world," said Albert Osterhaus, head of virology at the Erasmus Medical Center, who designed 'The Great Flu' game with colleagues. The game can only be played online at www.thegreatflu.

LONDON: Supermarkets, airports, banks and other businesses across Europe have begun preparing to cope with a possible full-scale outbreak of a human variety of bird flu. Businesses, especially those that deal closely with the public, are planning activities from arranging regular hand-washing breaks to ordering protective face masks in an attempt to curb the potential economic impact of any outbreak. "There are many companies who may not survive a pandemic, and planning needs to start now," said Guy Otty, managing director of London-based risk management company Business Forums International, which is receiving inquiries from thousands of companies.

BEIJING: China has reported another case of bird flu in poultry in the mountainous south western Guizhou province making it the fourth case of the disease in poultry this year. Highly pathogenic H5N1 subtype of the avian influenza virus had caused the outbreak which killed 3,993 birds, the Ministry of Agriculture said. The disease had been brought under "effective control" after 238,364 birds were culled, official Xinhua news agency said quoting the ministry.

GUWAHATI/SILIGURI: Over 1,38,000 birds ? chickens and ducks ? have been culled in Manipur following the outbreak of avian influenza. About 20,250 eggs and 11,615 kg of poultry feed have been destroyed. India has also stepped up vigil on the border of Myanmar and Bangaldesh which have witnessed outbreaks of bird flu this year. Meanwhile, Bhutan has banned import of poultry from India in the wake of bird flu outbreak in Manipur. This could hit West Bengal's poultry trade. Nearly 1,500 tonnes of poultry from India enters Bhutan annually.

NEW DELHI: To combat the outbreak of swine flu in the country, the Centre has established a network of 21 laboratories equipped to test the H1N1 virus and is providing logistics support for drugs, masks and personal protective equipment and vaccines, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. The government has been monitoring the HINI outbreak situation and was maintaining a regular touch with the affected state governments, Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda said. He also said that till March 11, 1587 deaths have been reported with Gujarat registering the highest so far with 362 deaths, Rajasthan with 359 and Maharashtra with 247 deaths.

NEW DELHI: As the Union health ministries' high-level meeting on swine flu outbreak ended on Monday, the government issued a travel advisory, asking Indians to restrict visits to Mexico, US, Canada, New Zealand and France. The health ministry called experts from National Institute of Communicable Diseases and Indian Council of Medical Research in the meeting to chalk out preliminary containment measures if the virus springs up in Asian countries. To ensure public safety, all travellers flying into India from Mexico, US, Canada, New Zealand and France would be individually checked for flu symptoms - like fever and upper respiratory tract infection.